


The Wolf and the Were

by WingedPanther73



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Romance, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-29 02:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 15,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3879343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingedPanther73/pseuds/WingedPanther73
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Logan has been kicked out of his pack for challenging the Alpha one too many times, when he runs into his mate. Only one problem: she shows no signs of knowing what he's talking about, despite being a werewolf as well.</p>
<p>A/N: Thanks to Sybil Rowan, Hawkerin, and melanie.cambell.3348 for beta reading this for me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Logan Forrester came to a stop, panting, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. _Being a rogue sucks._ _But_ _I had to challenge Jase for alpha_ _again. He's endangering the pack_ _._ He turned his head to glance behind him, not hearing the sounds of pursuit. _At least that last pack seems to have stopped chasing me._ He lay down for a bit, resting his head on his paws. 

_I suppose I shouldn't be surprised I got kicked out of the pack. Jase's ego couldn't handle having me challenge him for alpha all the time. Still, I miss being in a pack. Whenever I get too close to a territory, they drive me off, threatening to kill me._ _This last one was a close call._

He had tried so hard to skirt around the pack areas, sensing them as he came close, but as difficult as most rogues were, the packs were... hostile. He dozed a bit, then saw a squirrel dashing about.  _Lunch._ He dashed after it, and was soon swallowing the small morsel in satisfaction.  _Could have used a fire to roast it, but I didn't have a chance to grab supplies when I fled._

With a full belly, he suddenly realized there was an odd pressure on his mind. It was like he was in the edge of a pack's territory, but different.  _Why do I have a feeling I'm going to be running again, soon?_ _But what's going to be chasing me this time?_

Logan drifted off, expecting to be ambushed in the night.

-

He started awake when he heard a soft noise a short distance away. Advancing slowly, he came on the sight of a naked woman holding a rabbit, blood smeared on her face. Her eyes were looking directly at him.

_She's gorgeous,_ he thought in awe. Brown hair, dark skin, perky breasts, slim waist and round hips. Her eyes were yellow. Logan's heart ached to take her in his arms.  _Oh God, she's my mate._ He shifted to human and stepped forward with a smile. “Hi, I'm Logan. What's your name, beautiful?”

Her eyes narrowed before she bared her lengthening teeth and growled at him, then took a quick bite from the rabbit, clutching it close.

“Hey, I'm not gonna take your breakfast. I just wanted to meet you.” She crouched down, black nails tearing into the the carcass as she took another bite, glaring at him. Logan glanced down at himself. His jeans and white T-shirt were tight on his body. He was barefooted, though. He'd left his shoes behind at the last camp when he fled for his life. “Do you want a shirt to cover yourself?”

She merely looked at him as she gnawed on one of the bones that remained. She had eaten the rabbit in record time. Her face and hands were now covered in blood. The bone snapped.

“Can you understand me?” She nodded slightly, then shifted into a large timber wolf. She was the first timber wolf he'd seen, and was larger than he'd expected her to be. She bounded off.

_I'm gonna have to follow her. I expected her to recognize me as her mate and do... something. I dunno._ He shifted to his wolf and chased after her. He was smaller than her, black with white feet.  _Great, she's going into the pack territory. Why does it have such an odd feel to it?_ Against his better judgment, he still followed her. It wasn't until they broke into a clearing that Logan realized he might have a problem. There was a mixture of about two dozen naked people and wolves lounging about. The wolves were all timber wolves that were larger than him. Even the females were larger than him, though barely.

The largest man shifted into a massive wolf and advanced on him casually. Logan stayed put.  _Why aren't they attacking me?_ The alpha circled him, sniffing, then simply strode away, shifting back to human form and taking one of the women in his arms, kissing her passionately. 

_What have I wandered into?_


	2. Chapter 2

Hialeah pounced on the rabbit, snapping its neck in her jaws. She quickly shifted to human form, the better to tear apart her breakfast. She'd just taken her first bite, when one of the fake wolves stepped out in front of her.

His eyes scanned over her body briefly before he grinned at her. “Hi, I'm Logan. What's your name, beautiful?” She narrowed her eyes at him, appraising him. Jeans, shirt, a stupid grin, a stupid desire to talk, and a keen interest in interrupting her meal. _Time to speed up eating._

She growled at him and partially shifted so she could snap the rabbit down faster. “Hey, I'm not gonna take your breakfast. I just wanted to meet you.” She ripped into the carcass, gulping down hunks of meat, then sucked down the organs in its belly. Her eyes never left the stranger who wanted to talk too much.

“Do you want a shirt to cover yourself?” _For what?_ She chewed on a thigh bone thoughtfully. _What good is a strip of cloth that won't fit me as wolf? Waste of cloth._ She snapped the bone and sucked out the marrow.

“Can you understand me?” She nodded. _Of course. You_ _just_ _won't shut up._ Tossing aside the bone, Hialeah shifted and trotted back to the rest of her pack. Her eyes gazed over the young males, young females, and the various mates. Several were away, probably getting a small meal like she had. They would probably go after some deer later in the day.

She glanced back at the male. _Small, like all his kind. Why is he following me? Does he think he can do well in the pack?_

Gawonii stood and shifted. He inspected the runt. To his credit, the runt stood his ground, showing neither fear nor aggression. When Gawonii turned and left him, she noticed the runt released his breath. _Wait until he has to stand against the other males,_ she smirked to herself.

She settled down to rest and let her eyes droop. Runt approached her, which was his right. _I'm not ready to breed yet, but soon. Unaduti will probably win the right, though Rayetayah might win next time. Assuming I keep my position, of course._

A soft growl caused her to shift her eyes over to Runt. A young male had approached him with a soft growl. Hialeah's tail lazily started wagging in amusement as the runt stood to face his larger challenger.

The pup made a half-hearted lunge at the runt, who jumped back with remarkable speed before darting forward again, snapping at the kid. The kid circled the runt more cautiously, lunging now and then, but not leaving an opening. Suddenly, the runt charged forward, shifting to human to punch the kid in the head before shifting back to wolf and snapping at him. The punch landed, the bite did not.

_How did he keep his clothes?_ The pup shifted to human, a red mark on the side of his face as he punched at the runt, who dodged. A swift kick connected, sending the runt skidding along the ground with a whine. Despite that, he stood up again and charged, shifting to human to tackle the pup, fists flying.

Hialeah's tail stilled as she watched the two exchange punches. Runt was faster, but weaker. Oddly, though, the punches he took didn't seem to affect him for long. The pup grabbed him and kneed him in the ribs, an audible snap finishing the fight as the runt dropped.

_Finally. He should have quit earlier._ Her eyes drooped, when she saw the runt stand again and charge.  _What?!_ Her eye snapped open as the runt grabbed the pup from behind, finally choking him out.

She glanced at Gawonii, who had stopped frolicking with his mate to watch. He was smirking in amusement, like he knew something she didn't. Hialeah eyed  R unt more carefully.  _What happened in that fight?_


	3. Chapter 3

Logan settled down again as a wolf.  _That kid's punches HURT! What was up with that? And why would he turn his back on me when the fight wasn't over? For crying out loud, a snapped rib only takes a few seconds to heal!_

His mate was watching him, now.  _At least I got her attention, but she's not exactly making out with me or anything._ He let his eyes roam. Sure enough, a couple was acting on their bond right in front of everyone. They hadn't even bothered to go inside one of the small tents that were scattered about. No one seemed to care, either.

_I know werewolves aren't overly modest, but this is like nothing I've ever seen before. No clothes, open sex. Is there a hippie commune pack and I didn't know about it? Is my mate going to expect me to let everyone watch us have sex?_

Logan observed the pack carefully as the day wore on. Members would leave and return from time to time. There were clear mates, but also unmated wolves that were mostly grouped by gender. His mate was among one of the groups of unmated females, some of whom came up to sniff him. His mate showed no reaction, allowing it.

_Why is she not protective of me? She shows no signs of jealousy for me at all._

Later, a larger, unmated male approached them sniffing at his mate.  _Mine!_ the thought slammed through his mind. He didn't like how it approached  and growl ed softly in warning. The male glanced at him, then turned his attention back to Logan's mate, sniffing her. Worse, his mate lifted herself to her feet, returning the greeting. 

Logan felt rage course through him, charging the male before he'd thought about it. The male's jaws snapped around to meet him, grabbing him and tossing him aside dismissively. Logan was on his feet, charging forward again.  _My mate! Keep away._ This time, he wasn't caught off guard by the larger wolf's reflexes. They circled each other. 

Suddenly, the larger wolf charged past him, grabbing his hind leg and clamping down, teeth crippling the tendons, disabling him. The larger wolf backed off eying him carefully.

Logan whined in pain, but he could feel the tendons repairing themselves. He rested on his haunches a moment, then launched himself at the larger wolf. It barely avoided him, eyes gazing at the ankle he'd damaged. Suddenly, it shifted to human. Naked, of course.

Logan matched him, and was rewarded with a fist to the side of his face.  _Holy shit that hurt! What is he, the Incredible Hulk?_ His opponent was several inches taller and wider than him. The man's eyes widened as Logan felt the mark from the punch vanish. Logan gave a return punch, connecting with his opponent's jaw. 

Logan's eyes narrowed when the red mark from his punch... deepened into a faint bruise.  _What the?_ The next punch to his chest sent him flying.  _This guy is way stronger than me. He'd toss Jase like a rag doll!_ The two of them quickly set into exchanging blows. Every hit from the giant felt like a crippling blow until his regeneration kicked in. Every hit he delivered barely did anything, yet stuck.

After half an hour, the giant was breathing heavily, while Logan still felt relatively fresh. His opponent was slowing down, then finally threw down his hands and walked off.  _Thank God we were only sparring. I'd hate to fight him if he wanted to kill me._

Logan dropped down next to his mate, who was staring at him intently.


	4. Chapter 4

Hialeah considered what she'd seen. _He's a skilled fighter, but not very strong. How did he recover from those wounds, though? Must be a trait of his kind._ Ayita strolled over in human form, letting her hips roll as she came to appraise the new wolf. She seemed impressed that he'd forced Unaduti to yield.

The wolf glanced at her, before returning his gaze to Hialeah. Even when Ayita reached down to stroke his head, she didn't get his attention. Without warning, she shifted and attacked Hialeah, forcing Hialeah to leap out of the way. _What the? We already both know Ayita outranks me._ Hialeah tried to cower low in subservience, but Ayita grabbed her by the neck anyway.

The sound of a snarling wolf was the only warning the females had before the strange fake wolf plowed into Ayita, knocking her off Hialeah. Unlike the battle with Unaduti, this time the wolf's hackles were raised as he growled menacingly at Ayita, standing between her and Hialeah. The two females looked at each other in confusion before Ayita backed off.

_What is he doing? Why would he interfere? She would have let me go after a few moments. She was just making sure he knew she was worthy of his attention._ She stood, backing away from the strange male, uncertain what to do about him. Her anxiety was dealt with when Gawonii appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the errant male by the throat and pinning him to a tree.

The wolf squirmed, ineffectively pushing against Gawonii's chest with his paws. Gawonii just leaned in, a growl rumbling out of his chest before the odd male shifted to human.  _Still has his clothes... “_ I won't let anyone harm my mate,” the strange wolf growled at Gawonii.

“She's not yours yet. We struggle for status alone. Interfere again, and I will kill you myself.” With that, Gawonii dropped the stranger and stalked off. The stranger returned to her side and settled down as a wolf.

When Salili, the other unmated female that outranked Hialeah approached him, he growled at her menacingly until she backed off in confusion.  _He's going to cause me problems. Why does he think he can claim me as his mate? I'm not quite ready to be mated, yet, and there's no guarantee he can fend off the other males if a mate is on the line._


	5. Chapter 5

_Why are all these females presenting themselves to me? I'm not their mate. I'm sitting next to my mate. And what's with the Alpha getting in the way of me protecting my mate, or even claiming she's not mine? My mate is my mate! It's that simple!_

Another female approached him, and he simply growled at her, hackles raising in annoyance. She backed away, confused. When he didn't have silly females flirting with him, he got a chance to watch the pack's dynamics some more.

One thing that always got attention was when members would wrestle with each other. It was always two males or two females. Sometimes they'd be in human form, and sometimes in wolf. Every time, it seemed to last only a few seconds to a minute, yet everyone else's attention would shift to it. Moreover, the older unmated members seemed to pay extra attention when it was a pair of older unmateds of the opposite gender. Whoever got the upper hand before they split apart amicably would have visitors shortly afterwards, sometimes leading to the next match.

_Teeth never seem to break skin. Punches are rarely thrown, and never with full power. Despite that, my struggle with mister beefy became very intense quite quickly. Did I somehow break protocol? But he was getting too close to my mate and refused to back off. It's common courtesy to give mates space until they complete the bond. He acted almost like I was the interloper, instead of the other way around._

As late afternoon set in, the Alpha stood up and shifted to a wolf, followed by all the others. Logan stood as well, uncertain what was happening. They all streamed after the Alpha into the woods and soon came out to a large area of plains with bison roaming about grazing.

The pack spread out, and Logan did the same, sticking near his mate in case she got into trouble. The Alpha shifted to human, pointing out three of the bison. Other members nodded, forming three slightly separate groups. When the Alpha charged, Logan and the rest did as well.

The herd stampeded in a panic, with the three marked bison quickly falling behind. Some members leaped at the legs, biting at tendons to take them down. Others would partially shift, grabbing onto their target as they bit at the neck and back with powerful jaws. Some simply served to steer the targets away from the rest of the herd. _How are they taking on a half-shifted form? Just another mystery._

In little time, all three targets had collapsed, and the pack was tearing into their bodies, gorging on the raw meat.  _No cooking fire? No butchering process? I mean, it tastes great, of course, but we're going to want to preserve the meat. Not that I have my tools with me, so I guess I can't complain._

As they ate, more and more wolves appeared, helping eat what was left of the three bison. There was nothing left to preserve, so they strolled back to their camp while the other wolves disappeared again. Bellies were swollen, and there was no wrestling for the rest of the day. To Logan's annoyance, when he plopped down next to his mate, she moved away. When he moved closer, she moved away again.

_Great, nobody talks around here, and now she's acting like I did something wrong. It would be one thing if my mate was giving me the silent treatment, but this whole PACK is doing it. Come to think of it, I think the Alpha is the only one who's spoken all day. I'll leave them alone for now, but I'm going to have to get some answers tomorrow._


	6. Chapter 6

Hialeah woke up feeling uncomfortable. Irritable. Opening her eyes, she saw several of the other females eying each other warily. One of the younger females strolled past Salili and got snapped at. Hialeah found herself bristling whenever one of the unmated females got near her, too. Ghigau, Gawonii's mate, strolled through them, nudging the younger females away from the older ones. For some reason, Ghigau's presence didn't annoy her.

_Mating._ That one word drifted through her mind. She'd seen it before with older wolves. Her group of females were getting ready to choose their mates. Hiawassee approached  R unt as a wolf. Hialeah felt her hackles raise, since the runt was  _still_ right next to her. Hiawassee lowered her head, but still sniffed at  him , who growled softly in warning.

She backed off.  _She's fourth. It doesn't look like this runt is going to be less than second. Why he's hanging around me when I'm third, I don't know._ The sound of a fistfight among the males snapped her attention around. Unaduti and Rayetayah were beating each other. Unaduti's bruises from the previous day were healed, but they were both accruing a new set.  _They sense the impending mating._

Her attention was brought closer to home as Chuquilatague was tackled by the runt for sniffing her. Unlike before with the other two, Chuquilatague wasn't interested in playing. The males knew they'd be selected. This was their last chance to establish rank.  _He probably assumed he'd be my mate, but now this runt is acting like I'm his to claim._

She watched the two fights, with more attention on the runt. Unaduti and Rayetayah exchanged quite a few blows, but Rayetayah backed down. Both of them were solidly above Chuquilatague. Everyone knew that. The runt, though, was a mystery. He'd fought off both the others, but this was more serious.

The two exchanged several bites to each others' legs and necks. As before, the wounds to the runt healed almost immediately, even though they were more severe. Every time Chuquilatague thought the runt would submit, he instead attacked with more determination than before. Finally, Chuquilatague shifted to human and kicked the wolf against a tree. There was a sickening snap from the runt that got everyone's attention. He fell to the ground, back twisted unnaturally.

_It's done. Finally._ Chuquilatague turned his back on the runt, so he was the only one to not see the runt's back straighten as he stood up once again. His only warning was when the runt's jaws clamped around the back of his neck, a deadly growl in his ear as he fell to the ground. Hialeah's eyes were wide as she stared at what she'd seen. Chuquilatague emitted a soft whine of defeat. With that, the runt padded back next to her and plopped down.

_What is he?_


	7. Chapter 7

Logan growled at the three females that had approached him. _I'm not fucking interested! Haven't I made that clear enough already?_ When they backed off, but continued to stare at him, he finally shifted and crossed his arms, glaring at them. “I only want her,” he said, indicating his mate. “I will fight any male for the privilege to claim her, and I will ignore you three no matter how much you fight with her. Do I make myself clear?”

The three females looked at each other, growling slightly, before one of them charged his mate. He glanced at the Alpha, who was watching closely. _The fucker will kill me if I interfere. I don't doubt that. He can do it, too._

Logan forced himself not to move, fists clenched tightly at his sides as he allowed his mate to fight with the other female. They shifted back and forth between human and wolf, trading blows and bites with each other, before his mate was finally forced to submit, several wounds leaking blood.

In human form, the other female strode up to him with a smug grin, her eyes challenging him to acknowledge her. Logan obliged. He glared at her, then purposefully walked around her to shift and lie down next to his mate. When the female attempted to approach again, he growled loudly, baring his teeth. Had she not just wounded his mate, her look of confusion would have been hysterical.

She finally backed off, and Logan turned his attention back to his mate. She was licking wounds that didn't appear to be healing. _She's like the males. They heal slowly, taking a day for bruises to recover. How long will these bites take?_

It didn't take long for the wounds to stop bleeding, telling him that they did have regeneration. Unfortunately, it was clearly much slower than his own. When the remaining two females started fighting with each other, he forced himself to get some answer. _There's too much I don't understand, here, and nobody's talking._

Logan walked to the Alpha. “Explain this. What's all this fighting about?”

The Alpha gave him an appraising look. “We mate by strength, just as any other wolves would. Surely you know this.”

“Werewolves mate with whoever their mate is. What are you talking about?”

He smiled at Logan in amusement. “Werewolves do. We do not. I don't know why you think she's your mate, but you are causing problems by being here. Despite that, you have skill and endurance.” He gave Logan an appraising look. “Remove your clothes.”

“What?”

“Remove them!” The order didn't carry the weight of a werewolf Alpha. Despite that, Logan understood that it was an order with consequences for disobedience. He obeyed.

The Alpha took them and put them in one of the small tents. “Now you don't stand out. We wear clothes when we interact with humans in their towns. For now, we don't need them. If you want her as your mate, you must live as we do, not as you used to.”

Logan nodded, but a new question was forming in his mind. “What are you?”

“Your kind calls us lycans.”

A memory filtered through his mind, and Logan's eyes widened.

“Go, little werewolf, let's see if you can defend your claim on your 'mate'.”

Logan returned to his post and eyed his mate through the eyes of a wolf. “The territory's shifted! They're coming!” he remembered a scout whispering in fear and awe.

“Who?” he'd asked. He'd been only fourteen at the time, still hoping he could challenge his older brother for the title of alpha when his father retired.

The scout had looked at him in irritation, like he was an idiot. “The Lycans. They're migrating. We have to move our patrols back. We don't want a war!”

Logan had never found out what lycans were. He'd just felt the pressure as they passed between his and the next pack's territories. When they'd passed, the territory lines had shifted, and no one had dared comment on it.

When he'd asked around, most members of the pack had scoffed at silly rumors of bogeymen. Only the scouts took it seriously. And his father. _I've somehow joined a pack of lycans, something that terrified my father's scouts. What have I gotten myself into?_


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Hialeah's wounds were completely healed, and the stupid runt was _still_ hanging around her, refusing to offer other females anything other than a hostile growl. That wouldn't have been so bad, except Ayita was sniffing around Unaduti and Rayetayah, who were bristling at each other. _She's first in heat. I guess she's tired of trying to get the runt to take her._

It didn't take long for Rayetayah to back down, though. _Unaduti's been above him for over a year._ As wolves, Unaduti and Ayita were soon rutting. The runt was staring at them. _Why's he staring at them? For that matter, why does it irritate me that he's staring at them?_

It wasn't long before Salili was walking over to the males. Chuquilatague tried to approach her, but she growled at him before sidling along Rayetayah. Again, Chuquilatague didn't challenge the result. He'd been third wolf for a long time.

The runt's eyes were back on her, which left her less irritable. _Okay, I'm next, but which of them will be my mate?_ Chuquilatague was watching her like a hawk, and the runt was eying him. Hialeah moved directly between them as the compulsive desire began to ripple through her body. _I have to have a mate. I have to have a strong mate._

Chuquilatague started to approach her, when the runt sailed over her body, shifting to a human in mid-air a punching the larger wolf in the side of the head. Unlike their previous fight, the runt was punching and kneeing Chuquilatague non-stop. It was only when the former third lowered his head in submission that the runt shifted back to a wolf and approached her.

_ Okay, that was impressive, but is an attack like that enough to make him the strongest? _ The compulsion to mate passed through her body like a tremor, forcing a plaintive whine from her. The only male approaching her was the runt.  _ The others refuse to challenge him _ .

With a sense of trepidation, she allowed the runt to mount her. The need to mate overwhelmed any other concern she had, even the risk that his weak genes would hinder the pack and her status in it. Just as they were completing the act, she felt his teeth bite into her shoulder. As confusion and pain flared through her, she suddenly felt a sense of peace and wellbeing conflicting with her own feelings.

_ What's this? _ She glanced back at her mate.  _ Mine. This one is mine. _ _ For better or worse, the bond is there. But what's with these extra emotions?  And why did he bite me? _

The runt shifted to human and whispered in her ear, “I expected to hear your thoughts, love, but it seems we only share emotions. Why so stressed?” His tone of voice told her where the calm emotions were coming from. It only served to increase her anxiety.  _ I've never heard of this. What's happened to me? _ She shifted and held her hand to the bite. It was already healed over.  _ How? _ _ That's impossible! _


	9. Chapter 9

They mated several more times that day, both as wolf and human, even as the fourth couple paired up, finishing the round of matings. He only marked her the first time, though. Late in the afternoon, Logan was annoyed to still feel the anxiety rolling off his mate.

“We need to talk,” he whispered in her ear, while he held her tight against his chest. Her skin was soft, and he felt her soft bottom press against his groin.

She nodded slightly, then got up, leading him to the edge of the clearing and a short ways into the surrounding woods. Finally, he heard her voice. “What did you do to me?” It was low, and just the sound of it was soothing to him.

Despite that, his brows furrowed in confusion. “I mated with you.” Anxiety and irritation rolled off her.

“I know, but why do I feel what you feel?”

“Werewolf mates normally share a mind link. We can share our thoughts. Your alpha says you're something else, Lycans. My guess is we have only a partial mind link that carries emotions.”

“Why did you fight so hard for me?”

“I knew you were my mate when I saw you. What didn't make sense to me was that you didn't know you were my mate.”

“We mate by strength. The strong get stronger, the weak do not.” There was an anxiety spike from her, and he pulled her into his arms, causing only more anxiety.

“What's wrong?”

Her eyes looked up into his, worry written on her face. “You're weak, but you're not. You're different from the other males. When you fought for me, you were fiercer than anything we'd seen. But in a real fight, they would snap your neck. Can you heal even from that?”

He shook his head slightly. “I can be killed. It's just hard.” He kissed her softly before asking, “What's your name?”

“Hialeah.”

_Odd name._ “I'm Logan Forrester. My brother's alpha of the Half-Moon Pack, north of here.”

Concern and uncertainty rolled off her again. “Why aren't you with your pack? Why are you with us?”

“I kept challenging my brother for alpha. I was trying to protect the pack from him, but he finally got sick of it and kicked me out of the pack.”

Her brow furrowed.  _Why is that so damned cute?_ “Why would he kick you out? That's the right of every male.”

_What?_ “You mean anyone can challenge your alpha for position?”

“Of course. Gawonii is the strongest for now, but if he is crippled, or another becomes stronger, then he is not the alpha. It's natural that power would shift.”

“How would that impact businesses? How would the roles in the pack be affected if the alpha changes so often?”

More confusion from her. “We hunt, we follow game, we love our mates. What other business is there?”

“My pack has several companies they run. The alpha is the CEO.”

He heard her mutter something that sounded like, “fake wolves,” before she looked him in the eye. “You sound just like the humans, now. What kind of a wolf wants a company?”

It was his turn to be confused. “You have no companies.” She shook her head. “You have property?” She shook her head again. “You don't own this land?” A third time, her head shook.  _They follow game..._ He remembered discussion s of Lycans by nervous scouts. “You migrate with the seasons?” At last, she nodded.  _What have I gotten myself into?_

She glanced at him in concern. “What's wrong?”

“Your pack is so different from what I know. I think it will take me a long time to learn your ways.”

She smiled a little. “You talk too much. Let me teach you what we use our mouths for.” With that, she stretched up and kissed him. Soon after, they were in the leaf litter, making love once more.


	10. Chapter 10

Hialeah pondered her mate as they snuggled in for the night. _He's weaker than us, but tougher. He is aggressive, perhaps even desiring to be alpha. How much abuse can he withstand? Why did he fight so hard to be alpha, when he kept losing and it was improper?_ _How could an alpha harm the pack?_ _Will he integrate into our pack?_

His warm, fuzzy body was pressed against her own. In this form, she was a little larger than him, but his presence provided a comfort she hadn't felt before. They drifted into a peaceful sleep as the older members of the pack patrolled.

-

She awoke to a sense of terror and rage coursing through her for no discernible reason. Her strange mate was whining and growling next to her, dead asleep, paws twitching. _His emotions. Nightmare._ _Not mine._ She took the fur of the back of his neck in her jaws and gently tugged at him, until he suddenly snapped awake, snarling.

Several wolves around them eyed him lazily, before settling down, even as her mate's turbulent emotions started to settle. Shifting to human form, she whispered in his ear, “What happened?” His emotions.

His body shifted so he could take her in his arms. “Memories.”

She didn't say more, just holding him close. _His life was worse than he let on._ Despite herself, concern for him flowed through her, and his emotions shifted to something calmer.

He sighed deeply, holding her closer against his chest. “I was kicked out of my pack, forced to live as a rogue. Werewolves usually kill rogues first, and ask questions later. I was shocked when your pack let me in without question.”

Her eyes squeezed together in brief pain for her mate. “Had you been more disruptive, you would have been killed without question. You were only difficult, not a threat to the pack.”

“You kill rogues a lot.” It wasn't a question, but she nodded against his chest anyway. “What about your own kind?”

“Usually, they are forced to be wolves again.” He pulled back and stared at her in confusion, his emotions stirring slightly. “The pack can punish a rebel by locking them as a wolf. Or we can kill them,” she whispered.

His brow furrowed, but he settled against her. Soon, they were both asleep again.


	11. Chapter 11

Their lives settled into a leisurely cycle. Each of them had to demonstrate their strength and skill against various mated wolves, but it was never overly exciting. The pack would periodically hunt deer or bison, but little else happened.

_This is far more peaceful than being in the old pack. People will talk now and then, but it's mostly about simply existing and enjoying life._ He found himself lightly touching Hialeah a lot. It was soothing to touch her, and she seemed to enjoy it as well. They were resting naked, his new tan finally settled in, when there was a ruckus at the edge of the pack.

“Give me some food, and the kid'll be fine!” Logan's head snapped around to see a man in filthy clothes holding a knife to a girl's throat. Tears were streaming down her face. Several of the lycans got to their feet, two or four. He could feel a sense of wariness from Hialeah. _He's on edge, but we don't have any food handy to give him._

Carefully getting to his feet, he slowly approached the man, sniffing.  _Werewolf. Rogue._ Logan knew a rogue werewolf would be desperate and erratic. There was a reason they were normally killed on sight. Isolation did bad things to a werewolf's psyche.  “Don't do anything rash. We don't have any food stashed away.”

His eyes snapped to Logan, who saw a few males circling around the rogue. “Don't lie to me. I don't know why you lot are naked, and I don't care. I want food, and supplies. Fork it over!”

“We've got a change of clothes you can have, but not much else.”

The rogue tensed, pulling the girl tight against him as the knife dug into her neck, pressing into her tender flesh. “Don't fuck with me! And get those damned wolves out from in back of me!”

“Look, you can check out the tents for yourself, but there's nothing you'll want.”

He pulled the knife tighter against her throat. “I'll look, but you best understand this is a silver blade. Do  _NOT_ fuck with me!”

Logan felt his anxiety spike up, but didn't feel a similar spike from Hialeah. A glance at her showed she had shifted to wolf. She was close to the rogue, but keeping a cautious distance. Logan guided the rogue to one of the small tents and flipped open the flap, revealing a pile of clothes.

“What the hell is this shit?”

“We're a bit... different. Threatening the girl won't get you what you want. I can show you another tent if you want.”

The rogue nodded to another tent. “Open that one!”

Complying, Logan noticed Hialeah was closing in on the rogue. “Sure thing.” He opened the flap. “See? Nothing of value.” There was some jewelry and a bit of pottery.

“Open that jar up!”

Logan leaned down to do it, when Hialeah launched herself at the rogue's arm, dragging the knife away from the girl. The rogue spun around and switched the knife to his other hand and stabbed her shoulder. Logan was on him in a flash, even as his mate stumbled back.

Fiery pain laced down his side as the silver blade scored down his side. Other wolves dragged the rogue down, tearing at him. Logan crawled away from the angry mass, agony radiating through his side.  _Damn it! Silver fucking hurts!_

He flopped onto his side, shifting to human form. Hialeah was soon next to him, wincing in the pain that was bouncing back and forth across their empathic link. One of the other females washed their wounds before they settled down to heal.


	12. Chapter 12

_Getting stabbed always hurts._ Hialeah woke the next morning, her shoulder stiff. Despite that, she felt pretty good, and snuggled up against Logan.

His groan of pain stopped her short in surprise.  _Why hasn't he healed? His wound doesn't seem to have healed at all!_ She shifted to wolf and nudged him gently, whining slightly. He was still human, giving his injured side air. The wound would ooze a bit when he shifted, as pain lanced through his body.  _Is that the start of an infection? What?_

She raced away to Ghigau and shifted to human. “Something's wrong with Logan! What do I do?”

Ghigau followed back and examined the wound. After a bit, she left, leaving Hialeah to try to comfort her wounded mate. A half hour later, the alpha female returned with several plants that she boiled in a small pot. Soon there was a poultice covering the cut, with clean strips of cloth wrapped around his chest.

When that was done, she settled face to face with her mate, concern etched on her face. “Why aren't you healing?” she whispered.

“Silver,” he breathed. “Why are you healing?”

“I slept. We almost always heal within a day, two at most.”

“We don't heal from wounds with silver. It takes time.”

Hialeah was forced to care for a mate that she'd never expected to have a serious wound, and wait. From time to time, she would go hunting for small game for him to eat. It took him a week before he could fend for himself.

“What are you?” she asked at one point.

“A werewolf.”

“Why does silver hurt you?”

He sighed. “Supposedly, some witches used magic to gain the power of the wolf hundreds of years ago. The ceremony was made to the Moon Goddess, and it worked. We lost the ability to use magic, and became creatures of magic. But silver, a sacred metal, became our weakness for violating the order of things. It's poison to us, now.” He took a deep breath. “What about you? How did your kind come to be?”

She shrugged. “A pack of wolves protected the trickster, Coyote. He rewarded us with the power of the people who had overpowered us. We had the abilities of humans, not just wolves.”

He nodded sleepily. “We're completely different, then, aren't we?”

“We're different, but mates,” she said as she took his hand. _He's such a strange mate._


	13. Chapter 13

Logan threw a punch as Jase's jaws snapped at his throat. “You're too reckless, Jase! You're putting the pack in danger!”

Jase's reply was in the pack's mind-link. _You have no vision! You don't see what I'm doing at all!_

Logan struggled to keep the snapping jaws off his neck. “You're putting our pack's existence in danger. You're brilliant, I admit, but eventually you'll miss something!”

Jase finally pinned Logan, his wolf jaws clamped down on Logan's human throat. “I yield, I yield,” he said with regret. Privately, he thought, _And once again I failed to protect us. He has more time to have his risky behavior backfire._

Jase growled low in his throat before his mind spoke to the entire pack. _Logan has challenged me for the last time. He has shown an unwillingness to accept me as his alpha. As a result, he is no longer part of the Half-Moon Pack._

“What? Jase, bro, you can't do this!”

The broadcast to the pack continued. _He has until sunset to gather his possessions and leave our territory. If he sets foot in our territory after that, he is to be treated as a violent rogue, and killed on sight._

Suddenly, the mind-link to the pack went silent as Jase released the hold on Logan's throat. Shifting, Jase whispered. “I warned you, 'Bro'.”

Logan felt the worm of fear enter his heart as he realized this was for real. He couldn't feel anyone in his mind. _I'm a rogue. I've been kicked out of the pack._ A trickle of anger entered his mind. _My brother's trying to get me killed!_ “You can't be serious,” he whispered.

Jase narrowed his eyes at his younger brother before straightening his tie and smoothing down his suit jacket. “Deadly.”

-

Logan jerked awake with a start, Hialeah stroking his forehead and murmuring soothingly to him. His naked skin was covered in sweat as his breathing slowed to a normal pace. He felt Hialeah's lips as she gently kissed him. “Better?”

He nodded slightly.

“What do you dream of?”

He was silent for a while, and she matched his silence in her patient way. He'd become accustomed to the silence of the lycans. He didn't assume anything other than her constant patience with him. Plus, she was calm, though concerned.

“My brother is alpha of the Half-Moon Pack. I dreamed of the day he kicked me out. He declared I was to be killed on sight if I returned. My own brother did this.”

“Why make you a rogue, instead of a simple wolf?”

He looked at her in confusion, then recalled her mentioning this once before. “We're different. We're not wolves.” The lycans could undo whatever made them what they are, and make a member a simple wolf again. For whatever reason, their nature made it mostly unnecessary, though.

She nodded. “Right.”

He considered a bit. “That might have been better for me, though.”

She smiled a bit. “I'm glad you're here as you are.” With that she settled in with him, offering herself to his pleasure. Soon he forgot the dream.


	14. Chapter 14

Over the next week, Hialeah heard about the life of a rogue werewolf. It didn't take long for her to be convinced that it would have been kinder to force him to be a wolf, but werewolves didn't do that.

Instead, she heard about how Logan had to flee. He was strong, but not strong enough to take on ten others at once. He would leave one territory only to stumble across another. He'd been captured once and barely managed to escape. He'd been fleeing for his life when he had stumbled across her and found refuge.

Through it all, she felt his anger, fear, and bitterness. He resented his older brother, the wolf in the immaculate suit, the wolf who Logan felt endangered his old pack. He resented the hardships he'd been forced to suffer. He would make comments about understanding why his brother had had to do it, but his sense of betrayal sang through their empathic bond, and his fear for what would happen to his old friends was prominent. She knew he still didn't accept what had happened, in some way. It was the human in him.

She soothed him with caresses and sex. With her heat past, they made love mainly in human form. He was attentive and considerate, using the bond to know what pleased her and focus on those things.

Her past was boring, compared to his. She'd lived a quiet life in the pack. There was little to report. That quietness seemed to sooth him.

Then Gawonii and Ghigau started unpacking the tents and converting them to travois, primitive dog sleds. Soon everyone was doing the same. _And the migration north begins._ Logan was confused, so she took his hand gently. “Summer's coming. Time to move north.”

His confusion shifted to anxiety. “North?”

Hialeah knew he was thinking about his old pack and his brother. She slowly nodded. “We follow the game north. We have our pups. We've always done this.” Rather than calming, his anxiety was spiking higher. She knew the answer, but asked anyway. “What's wrong?”

“My old pack, the Half-Moon pack, is almost due north.”

She took his hand reassuringly. “You are in our pack, now. We are not bothered when we migrate.” _Or we kill them. They know of us. They know when we pass. They let us through._

She didn't know if he'd be pleased if they killed his brother, or not.


	15. Chapter 15

Logan had the triangle of wood and skins attached to his shoulders as he padded through the woods as a wolf. Hialeah was next to him with another loaded travois, her fur looking gorgeous. It was a pleasant distraction from the anxiety that was running through his system.

They were about to trespass onto another pack's territory. He knew. He'd fled from it a few weeks ago when he bumped into Hialeah. Their sentries were alert, with good noses. There was no chance that an entire pack of wolves going through their territory would cause anything less than a full-scale war.

Hialeah was radiating calm confidence as she trotted along next to him. The entire pack was traveling as wolves. It was faster and easier. Occasionally, one would shift to human to adjust a travois for another, or two would swap roles dragging the primitive sleds.

The pack was larger than he'd first thought. He was used to seeing eighty to a hundred wolves in the clearing at a time, but now he knew there were nearly double that many. It was still small compared to the typical four hundred or more of most werewolf packs.

Logan tensed as they stepped into what he knew to be the other pack's territory. He waited for the pressure of the pack to invade his awareness. It never came. Soon he was trotting through familiar terrain, yet he still didn't feel the warning that he was about to be rightfully imprisoned or killed. There was nothing, just the feel of his new pack around him as they proceeded forward on their quest north.

As sun set, some of their own wolves raised an alarm, howling on the other side from where the werewolf pack was established. Gawonii shifted to human, silently indicating all travois should be removed. Once the gear was down, he was back in wolf form, leading the pack to where the alarm had been raised.

Logan and Hialeah arrived to see a group of five scouts surrounded by the growing number of lycans. The scouts were brandishing silver blades, but also looked ready to piss themselves. The scent of their fear rolled off them in waves.

At last, Gawonii shifted to human form and approached them. Their eyes bugged out at the sight of the massive, naked man. “What are you doing in my pack's territory?” Gawonii challenged them.

The scout leader, slightly less terrified than the rest, responded. “We were patrolling our border. How is it that we're no longer in our own territory?”

Gawonii narrowed his eyes. “You know the time of year. You know what happens.”

The werewolves moved edgily. Logan appraised them and realized most of them must be new to patrols. Their leader couldn't have been patrolling for more than a few years. _What's with this? And why do they look so scared? What am I missing?_ _Perhaps all packs have the same tales about the lycans?_

Several other lycans shifted. For the first time, he could compare the lycans to other werewolves. Logan was above average height and weight, but the lycans... _Dang, I always felt smaller than them, but now I'm realizing they're larger than almost all werewolves. How did I miss this?_

The head scout sniffed the air, suddenly. His eyes narrowed in on Logan. “Why do you harbor a rogue?”

“We harbor nothing. He is pack,” Gawonii replied. As the scouts shifted their attention back to Gawonii, the leader's grip on the knife tightened. The smell of anger was now combined with his fear.

“Rogues die.”

It was Hialeah's vicious growl that got the scout's attention. Her sudden rage struck Logan, shocking him. She smoothly shifted to her human form, getting appreciative looks from the young scouts.

“Threaten my mate again, and I'll kill you myself.”

“I'd like to see you try, bitch.”

Gawonii smiled. “Your challenge to combat is accepted. Everyone, let's get the combatants ready.”

_Wait, what?_


	16. Chapter 16

Hialeah watched the older werewolf as the pack circled around them. The younger werewolves were clustered together on there own.

“Not gonna arm yourself, little girl?”

She ignored the taunt. He was only an inch taller than her. She just watched him, knees slightly bent, eyes on his. She could feel nervousness rolling off her mate, but her own rage overrode it. The cocky bastard before her, on the other hand, was grinning at her.

He suddenly lunged forward, expecting to cripple her with his knife. She punched his forearm, stunning it. The knife fell to the ground as she swing her other fist at the side of his head. He barely jerked back out of the way.

Hialeah let a grin show on her face as she stalked forward. The bastard swung a fist at her. She accepted the punch and grabbed his arm. With a sharp jerk, she snapped it. He howled in pain, but she didn't release it. Instead, she half-shifted and bit down on it, severing it below the elbow.

As the taste of her prey's blood filled her mouth, his screams filled her ears. She threw away the severed piece and looked down at him. She was now a few inches taller than him, her body covered in fur. She growled low, letting it rumble out through her chest.

His eyes were wide in panic, the wound closing, but still severed. “I yield! I yield!”

Her mate was no longer concerned for her, but instead feeling... respect. She glanced at Gawonii. “The challenge was to kill you,” he stated without emotion.

Hialeah grinned to herself, her teeth showing as she turned back to her prey. He died slowly, bludgeoned and slowly dismembered before she finally allowed him the peace of a torn out throat. She stood from his lifeless body and returned to human form. Her body was covered in her prey's blood.

“No one threatens my mate.” With that, she went to Logan and draped her bloody body against him with a loving smile. She lifted up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss.

“That was amazing,” he praised her with awe in his voice.

“Good thing I like you, huh?”

“Yup.”

She could smell the odor of urine from the other fake wolves.


	17. Chapter 17

“The territory's shifting! Pull back!” Hank shouted, leading the patrol group back towards the pack house.

“What's going on?” James asked.

“Lycan migration. Get the fuck back!”

“What, another pack invading? I'll go get the warriors,” the teenager replied cockily.

Logan shifted his gaze back and forth between the two. Hank frowned. “We just need to get back inside our territory. We aren't fighting anybody.” Hints of fear were rolling off his body, making James and Logan edgy as they caught its scent.

“What are lycans?” He finally asked.

Hank shifted his focus to Logan before answering. “We're not sure. But anyone who challenges them dies. We let them through, nobody gets hurt.”

-

Logan jerked awake. No one in his pack had ever challenged the migration that he recalled, the migration he was now a part of.

The scouts that had just survived meeting them had taken the pieces of their leader back to their territory with a small escort. There had been no more problems.

Hialeah had added the knife to her travois. There was actually a collection of weapons, mostly silver, even though he'd never seen a pack member practice with one.

Rolling over, he saw his lovely mate staring at him. Most of the blood had flaked off. Not that she didn't look gorgeous, regardless of the gore, but it _was_ a little bit disturbing. Almost as disturbing as the half form she'd used to fight.

“How did you do that, with the half-human, half-wolf thing?” he whispered.

Her brows furrowed, then she shrugged. “I just do it, sometimes. We all do. It's just a little tricky to stay balanced between forms.”

“We can't do that. We're one or the other.”

She nodded slightly. “Yeah. Sucks to be you guys, I guess,” she smirked.

“At least we heal fast,” I smirked back.

“True. I guess that means I can play rough with you.” There was a teasing smile on her face before they made love.

She was fun to play rough with.


	18. Chapter 18

Hialeah was giggling uncontrollably. Logan, on the other hand, was supremely frustrated, and it was plastered all over his face as he trembled with concentration. His teeth lengthened, his nails lengthened, and suddenly he was a wolf. He snapped back to human form, and Hialeah fell over laughing.

“Sure, laugh it up! See if I care!”

“Awww, but I would have thought you'd have given up ages ago.” _Perhaps I shouldn't do this, but...._ With a smirk, she smoothly transitioned, slowly, from human to wolf, stopping periodically just to make the point.Then she snapped back to human, lifted up on her toes, and pecked him on the lips while he scowled at her.

“I've only been trying for a half hour,” he pouted.

She pointed to one of the children who was stalking another kid in the half-wolf form. “It can't be that hard, if a young kid can do it,” she smirked.

“I know, I know.” He concentrated again, but once more snapped to full wolf shortly after his fangs had lengthened.

She shifted to her wolf and licked his face. _He knows it's because we're different. He just hates knowing something is possible, but being unable to do it._ She nudged him and soon they were running together, enjoying the feel of the wind in their fur and the stretch of their muscles.

Finally, they returned to their encampment for the night. When they shifted back to their human forms, he didn't look nearly as upset. By the next morning, he was back to his anxiety as the moved further North.

Despite his anxiety, Hialeah was actually surprised there'd been a conflict. It had been several years since they'd even seen a werewolf on one of their migrations. The understanding of what was happening had been established over the course of decades, yet every few years, a stray werewolf challenged their right of passage.

She shook her head. She couldn't believe there was anything to worry about. The werewolves just weren't that stupid.


	19. Chapter 19

Logan knew they were on his old pack's territory. He'd patrolled these woods far too often to not recognize it. He couldn't feel his pack's claim, something he was now used to when traveling with the lycans, but that didn't change the fact that he was in a dangerous place.

Hialeah was worried about his mental state. He could feel it through their bond, just as she could feel his anxiety. _Jase was clear. I just have to hope he'll acknowledge that, technically, I'm not on his territory._ As tensions suddenly shot through the pack, he knew his hopes were about to be dashed.

They were camped for the night in a small clearing. Jase, wearing a tailored suit, and a large group of males suddenly appeared at the edge of the camp. “I want him,” he stated, pointing directly at Logan.

Hialeah growled softly in response to the demand, and Logan's spike in anxiety. A number of the lycans shifted to human form, including Gawonii. Logan smiled slightly as several of Jase's warriors gawked at the eyeful they were getting of the females.

Gawonii was a head taller than Jase, who was barely taller than Logan. “What do you want with my pack?”

Jase didn't flinch as he looked at the lycans' alpha. “I want that rogue. He was banished. He's returned. His sentence is death.”

Hialeah's ruff stood up as she growled louder.

Gawonii let his calm gaze pass over the werewolves before him. “And what do you offer in exchange for a member of my pack? How would you repay Hialeah for the loss of her mate?”

Finally, Jase turned his attention fully to the lycan before him, eyes narrowing. “Payment for a rogue?”

Gawonii's eyes settled on Alexander, Jase's Beta. “Would you exchange that one for him? And perhaps that one as well?” he asked, indicating Jones, the Gamma.

Jase's face became livid. “You would ask for my second and third in command in exchange for that mutt?”

“Your pack is so weak they serve as your seconds?” His amber eyes sparkled with a mixture of amusement and derision. “I am not interested in training yet another of your kind to function in this pack, when he is already working well. Further, I fear you would bring Hialeah's wrath on your head if you were to do as you intend. Would you risk losing your pack for petty issues?”

Jase glared at him. “He has violated my law.”

The punch was so fast Logan barely saw it. One moment Jase was glaring at Gawonii, then next he was flying backwards to slam against a tree with a bone-shattering crash. “He's not on your land, _human._ Take your kind out of _our_ territory.”

Vibrating with rage, Jase lead his warriors away. One of them, Zander, lingered a bit longer, his gaze on one of the females that hadn't mated yet. He was the last to disappear into the woods.


	20. Chapter 20

_I will rip his throat out if he approaches my mate again._ They had both sat awake, pensively. Their arms and thighs touched lightly. Her rage was fed by his anxiety.

“He's my brother.”

She glanced at him. He sounded weary, sad, yet he was still radiating anxiety. “He wants to kill you.” He nodded. “I won't allow it.”

“I know.” He turned his head to gaze at her, a smile tilting up his lips as she felt the burst of love come from him.

Their moment was interrupted by an eruption of growls from those in wolf form. The young warrior with the t-shirt and jeans was back. He'd been the last to leave, with a gaze similar to Logan's.  _Not another one._

The warrior's eyes finally found Usdi and locked on her.  _Another one._ Having located her, he advanced cautiously among the pack members.

“I've found you! At last I've found you!” the warrior announced. “Come with me, and I can give you clothes, a home, whatever you want!”

Hialeah noticed a couple pack scouts returning, indicating the werewolf was alone. Meanwhile, Usdi simply barked in laughter before settling her head back on her paws. It was Waya that knocked out the inept warrior with a single punch to the side of his foolish head.

“Zander always was a bit of an idiot,” her mate muttered.


	21. Chapter 21

Logan watched carefully as Jase came back the next morning to find Zander bound with silver chains. _Okay, that face says he's just gone beyond furious. This isn't good._

“Why is one of my warriors chained up by your pack?” he demanded, seething.

Gawonii, by contrast, was perfectly calm. “Keeping him out of trouble. He was in danger of getting himself hurt.”

_You know what? I'm glad I'm not the focus of this discussion right now._

It was at that point that Zander decided to interrupt. “I found my mate! How was I not supposed to come get her?” He gestured to Usdi, who was shaking her head in amusement with her arms crossed.

Jase eyed Usdi, then Zander. “I demand you return my warrior and his mate to me.”

“You can have your warrior back. Usdi is not mated to anyone, and is not his to claim.”

“But...” Zander started before Gawonii cut off his protest.

“If that's a problem for him, he'll remain in our custody, so he doesn't get himself killed. When a pup can knock him out, he's a danger to himself and our negotiations while free.”

Jase narrowed his eyes. “What nonsense is this? Hand over my warrior and his mate!”

_Perhaps I should step in..._

Gawonii turned his attention to Usdi. “Care to demonstrate what his claim means to you?”

Usdi tilted her head to the side slightly in thought. Hialeah started laughing in wolf form, causing a weird barking/hiccuping sound.  _Uh oh..._ With utter calmness, Usdi strolled over to Zander and kicked him in the head, sending his body skidding across the grass, limp. She then turned her back on him and returned to her position among the unmated females.

“You would dare reject a Half-Moon Warrior?” Jase fumed, incredulity all over his face.

Usdi shrugged. Logan finally decided he had best step in. “Jase?”

“WHAT?”

“They don't mate like us.” Jase looked at him like he'd sprouted horns. With a sigh, Logan continued. “I had to fight for my position to be able to claim Hialeah as my mate. The strongest male mates with the strongest female. Zander can't just waltz in and claim Usdi. He has to prove himself, which he hasn't done.”

Logan watched as Jase's eyes narrowed, taking in the information, before he shifted his attention to Zander's limp body. “He'll stay here for now. What do you expect to happen when he claims her as his mate?”

Usdi laughed softly. Gawonii responded. “They will live together as mates.”

Zander slowly sat up. “What the hell? That hurt!”

Jase turned his attention to Zander. “Stay with them. Claim your mate by whatever rules they have. I expect you to return with her when that's done.” He turned his attention to Gawonii, “I'll drop my claim on his life,” he gestured towards Logan, “if you unbind him and give my warrior a fair chance.”

Gawonii nodded, and a couple other lycans proceeded to unbind Zander. Jase's eyes widened as they handled the silver with their bare hands, threw the chains over their shoulders, and casually hauled them to one of the travois for safe keeping.

_He's finally catching on that they're different from us._


	22. Chapter 22

Hialeah lay sunning herself, enjoying the warmth on her bare skin, as her mate worked with the Zander-pup to explain things. Logan had gone over the basic, “no clothes, rank is everything, be ready to get beat up,” routine already. The Zander-pup had taken off his clothes, grudgingly, but was skeptical of the rest.

“You're telling me I have to fight for the right to claim my mate?”

“No, I'm telling you as far as she's concerned, you're not her mate. She has none.”

“Even a human can feel the mating tug, and she's a werewolf.”

“She's not a human, and she's not a werewolf. That's your problem.” The Zander-pup looked at Logan skeptically, who pulled ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “Look, forget everything you think you know. These are lycans, not werewolves. They're completely different. They don't wear clothes because when they shift, their clothes would be destroyed. They don't heal as fast as we do. They're immune to silver. They are _different_.”

Finally, the Zander-pup responded, “Look, all I care about is when I can claim her as my mate and go home.”

_Like that'll happen. Usdi won't accept him. She's more likely to kill him._

“That depends on when she goes into heat.”

The pup gave him a blank stare. “Seriously? What are they, animals?”

“Sort of.” Hialeah snorted, but Logan forged on. “They're more wolf than human.”

“Fine. So when does that happen.”

Logan looked at her, clearly uncertain. “Maybe in around four months,” she supplied. _Not that he'll last that long,_ she thought with a smirk.

“Four months! Jase is going to expect me back in a few weeks, tops!”

“Be grateful. It'll probably take you that long to have a chance at claiming her as your mate. Right now, you don't stand a chance.”

“Why not?”

“Because you couldn't beat up a girl.”

Hialeah smiled to herself. _The Zander-pup will be amusing to watch._


	23. Chapter 23

Logan felt his spine snap as Unaduti swung him against a tree by his feet. He shifted to wolf, his back legs sprawling awkwardly while his spine repaired itself. Unaduti was smirking when Logan suddenly leaped forward, biting down hard on Unaduti's arm. There was a satisfying snap as the bones gave way. Unfortunately, it was followed by a fist to the side of Logan's head, dislodging him.

The two combatants faced off warily, until Logan shifted back to human. The bruise on the side of his face was fading as the two smiled at each other. Then parted ways amicably.

Zander was staring at Logan, slack-jawed. “You expect me to go through that?”

“Daily, if you want your mate to recognize you.”

“But those punches to the head knock me out every time!”

“Then you better get tougher, and fast. I've got alpha blood, and all I can do is hold my own when sparring. If it was a battle to the death, I would probably lose. Fighting them is _not_ like fighting werewolves,” Logan replied with a serious tone.

Zander looked really nervous. “How should I practice?” he finally whined. Logan punched him in the jaw without warning. “What the hell!” Zander wasn't in a fighting stance yet, so Logan just punched him again, repeatedly, until the warrior started attempting to defend himself.

“You learn how to fight by fighting,” Logan finally answered, once Zander wasn't taking hits to the head any more. “Anyone can challenge you for any reason.” Logan did a quick leg sweep, dropping Zander back to the ground. “Your main competition right now is the unmated males. Rank is based only on your ability to make them submit.” He kicked at Zander's head. “And your only edge is your healing, endurance, and maybe your speed.”

Zander was in a fetal position, trying to protect his head when Logan stopped. Kneeling down, he whispered in Zander's ear, “Do you care so little for your mate? If so, go home now and be mateless. She will never accept you this weak.”

Logan returned to Hialeah, stroking her soft fur before he shifted to wolf next to her. They'd made it to the summer hunting grounds without incident, but he'd noticed the newly mated females were shifting rarely, now. Hialeah stayed as a wolf almost all the time, sometimes choosing to remain bloody after a hunt, rather than clean herself.

She wasn't in distress, though she'd get irritable if he pushed her to be human with him. In the end he accepted it.

He watched Zander carefully. _He has to get it together. He has to learn how to fight better. He's used to being an average fighter, and that being good enough. Jase has allowed the new batch of fighters to slack off far too much_ _while he pursues his crazy agenda_ _._

Finally, Zander got up and tried to go to Usdi, again, for comfort. Again, she growled and snapped at him. The look of sorrow and pain had become a constant part of Zander's features in the two weeks they had spent traveling.

_I'm going to have to force him to fight one of the young males, soon. He's spending too much time sulking, and not enough establishing rank. Letting himself get beat up by me isn't helping him._ Logan began plotting how to make Zander's life a living hell. For his own good, of course.


	24. Chapter 24

Hialeah felt the pups stirring in her belly as she rested her head on her paws. Another scream of pain caused her to shift her eyes to where the Zander-pup was “playing” with one of the older pups. It reminded her of Logan's fights, except Zander never got his punches back in. This time, the scream was a result of Zander's knee being shattered.

“Don't sit there crying like a baby! You'll heal as long as you don't take more damage getting kicked in the head!” Logan was watching from the sidelines as the smaller lycan backed off, watching in rapt fascination as Zander's knee straightened itself. In a few seconds, it was able to support his weight again.

The pup was grinning as Zander-pup got back to his feet. “Why the hell would you do that?” the werewolf demanded, anger lacing his voice.

The pup's face fell. “You said you wanted to spar.” He looked to Logan, obviously worried that he'd done something wrong.

“Don't worry, Adahy, you did a good job,” Logan said with a friendly pat on the shoulder, dismissing him. When he turned to Zander-pup, his face dropped into a scowl. “As for you, you need to quit whining if you ever want to claim your mate. I've told you how to protect yourself and fight back. You've watched me take my licks from mated males. I'm taking harder punches and kicks on a daily basis. Have you seen me cry out in pain even once?”

Zander shook his head, staring at the ground with an angry expression.

Logan's fist snapped out, breaking Zander's jaw. “Then learn how to take a fucking punch without crying!”

Logan turned his back on Zander, who jumped on his back. Logan flipped Zander over his shoulder and punched him in the throat. Logan walked away while Zander lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

A glance at Usdi smiling in amusement confirmed Hialeah's thought. _This kid will never win a mate here._


	25. Chapter 25

Zander was gone. _I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Getting beat within an inch of my life day after day wasn't easy for me, and I only had a few days of it. He was looking at a few months. Still, I can't see him giving up on his mate that easily..._

Logan thought back to when Jase had found his mate in a neighboring pack. She'd been fifteen at the time, and her parents, while pleased that she was the mate of a future Alpha, had been unwilling to let her go yet. They felt she should wait at least a year before allowing their daughter to be with her mate.

Jase had been furious, unwilling to wait. He had arranged for a small group of scouts to go with him. In the dead of night, they slipped into the neighboring pack's territory and kidnapped the girl. By the time her parents arrived two days later, he had already marked her and claimed her. The girl insisted she wasn't forced, but her parents were furious.

Jase had paid a hefty sum to their alpha to make the problem go away. With the mating completed, there was nothing that could really be done, and the Half-Moon pack that Jase lead was stronger, anyway. Money to avoid a war they couldn't win let them save face, while Jase got his mate immediately.

Logan had never approved, but that same ability to see the goal and get it had served Jase well. The pack ran three companies, with Jase at the head of all of them. Over and over again, that vicious tenacity had resulted in profits, but at great risk of catastrophic loss.

He gazed over at Usdi while she sparred with another female, grim expressions on both their faces. _Will Ja_ _s_ _e see profit or peril in her? He's so good at knowing, better than I, by far._

He felt a twinge from Hialeah and gently stroked her ruff with his hand. She gave a soft whine, eyes fixed on him.

“I'm worried. Zander leaving could cause problems for us.”

She huffed out a sigh, calm eyes still latched on him.

“I know. I'm hoping Jase is as wise as he's been in the past. Unfortunately, he might have been reckless and lucky. I don't know which it is. I never was able to figure it out. I kept challenging him, because I was afraid he'd lead our pack into disaster, but he was always stronger than me, in the end.”

This time she snorted, their empathy carrying her derision clearly.

“I know, I know. Just indulge me in this. He's my big brother, and I could never figure out if he was a madman or a genius.”

Logan got up and picked a fight with Rayetayah. He needed the practice. When the fight ended, Rayetayah had two broken knees to heal from. They'd be good as new in the morning.


	26. Chapter 26

Nine weeks after mating, Ayita, Salili, and Hiawassee had all had their pups. Ayita had two lycans and two wolves, while Salili and Hiawassee each had one lycan and three wolves. It was now eleven weeks after mating, and Hialeah had yet to birth her pups.

It was with that stress that she finally went into labor. In wolf form, she easily gave birth to a male lycan and female wolf pup. Then a stillborn followed, something that was very rare. Despite it, the three births were fairly easy. Then the pain came.

As Logan hovered near her, her body was forced into human form. Agony the likes of which she'd never experienced ripped through her, alarming those around as her body fought to expel yet another pup. Except this one hurt. A lot. It was somehow larger than the others, and her screams filled the clearing as her body was covered in a sheen of sweat. Rather than the simple births that were normal for her kind, this one was drawn out agony.

Logan held her hand, which she broke repeatedly as agony swept over her. Finally, something resembling a small human girl was expelled from her body. Unlike the pups, which had started mewling and whining almost immediately, this was silent, unbreathing. Suddenly, it sucked in air and squalled, a noise that was unheard of in the pack. Despite that, she nursed it and her pups.

 _What have I given birth to?_ she wondered as she stared down at the three infants she was feeding. Her half-shifted form let her care for all three, and soon they were all sleeping in the shelter of her body. Logan curled around her, a second layer of protection for them.

The wolf and lycan had yellow eyes, looking like mirrors of each other. The human-looking one that still smelled of wolf had bright, blue eyes. It was nearly helpless, able to flail some, but unable to crawl about as the two pups did. _Can this even survive?_

Despite her misgivings Logan seemed most taken with the girl, while he seemed to be uncertain how to deal with the pups. As the summer wore on, Hialeah was pleased to see all three rapidly gain strength. The young lycan began shifting a few weeks after he was born. They agreed to name him Ashwin, though Logan kept calling him “Ash” for some reason. The girl was named, Salali, though Logan called her “Sally”, again for unknown reasons.

The girl grew rapidly, much to Logan's surprise, but she didn't shift. He was more surprised that Ashwin was able to shift. _Is she human? What is she? Will she survive in the pack or have to be given away? She smells of werewolf, perhaps. Do they not shift as children?_ _She has the teeth of a wolf, so perhaps she'll be okay._


	27. Chapter 27

The pups were two months old, and Ash had vastly outpaced the others in development. Sally was still mostly helpless, a squalling girl who looked to be a normal werewolf. Ash, by contrast, was already shifting fluidly back and forth, and his human form was a toddler. Wolfy was an affectionate pup, but she was just a wolf, nothing more.

While Logan was busy preening over his children, he couldn't help but feel the anxiety from Hialeah as she cared for Ash and Sally. It was only Wolfy that caused her no issues. _What am I missing? What's off?_

It wasn't until he saw Ash playing with the other newborn pups that he started to understand what was bothering Hialeah. _Ash is the runt of the pack,_ _b_ _ut he's not the wimp of the pack._ Ash was smaller than the other males, yet he'd toss the larger pups around with bursts of strength that always seemed to startle them.

The most disturbing thing, however, was when a bunch of the pups were playing in the teepees, and he heard Ash whimper in pain. “I'm coming, son!” he shouted as he charged to his injured pup. Inside, Ash had discovered that silver was irritating to the touch. It didn't burn him like it did Logan, but instead caused an almost immediate, sore rash.

Ash was crying, but also confused. The other pups were handling the chains without problem, yet they had “bit” him. “Why it hurt, da?”

Logan just picked him up and grabbed a chain. Ash's eyes widened as he saw what the silver did to his dad, causing welts to raise almost immediately. “Because you're my son, buddy. I'm sorry it hurts you,” he consoled, dropping the painful metal. “I'm sure you're tougher than you look because of me, too, though,” he added with a grin.

Sally was maturing faster than a werewolf, too. Still, she didn't shift. She could walk about, but often chose not to, crawling like her lycan friends in wolf form. The realization that Sally was maturing faster than normal, yet relatively slowly, forced Logan to ask Hialeah a question.

“How old are you?”

Hialeah gave him a blank, confused stare before she replied. “Thirteen summers. Aren't you the same?”

Logan's eyes were bugging out as he stared at his beautiful, mature, sexy mate. _Thirteen, she looks at least twenty!_ “I'm twenty-two. It's rare for us to find a mate before we're sixteen.”

Hialeah's brow furrowed, distracting Logan briefly with its cuteness, before her eyes shifted to their children. Their runt children. He could feel her emotions shifting around as she started to understand why their children were so odd, compared to the others. “When do you learn to shift?” she finally asked.

“Usually, between fourteen and sixteen.”

She nodded slightly, her eyes on Sally. Their little girl's bright, blue eyes were latched on her mom's yellow eyes, even as Ash's yellow eyes met his dad's blue orbs. Finally, he felt Hialeah's anxiety fade, though not completely.


	28. Chapter 28

At three months old, Ashwin and the pup were eating meat. Salali, on the other hand, barely had teeth and was not close to being weaned. _Why is it taking her so long? I'm tired of breastfeeding her. It doesn't help that Ashwin gets jealous._ Ashwin sometimes bit.

While she nursed her daughter, she watched as Ashwin played with the other boys, young wolves hopping around them. She'd become used to Ashwin was weaker than the other boys, yet occasionally having those bursts of strength that exceeded them, too. It was at one of those times that she heard a snap, and saw his arm bend in an odd direction, his elbow broken.

Ashwin came crying to her, his arm flopping about uselessly. Anxiety spiked in her while her mate calmly watched their boy with interest. She felt a prickle of irritation at him as she took Ashwin in her free arm and held him close. After a bit, his crying ceased and she inspected his arm. _What the...?_ It was no longer broken, but perfectly normal.

She heard a chuckle behind her as her mate picked up on her confusion. “He's a slow healer, but still impressive by your standards, isn't he?” There was amusement in his voice as he gently made fun of her panic.

With a glare, she asked, “How did you know?”

“The bursts of strength. They hurt like crazy, but if you know you're going to heal, ripping your muscles and bones for that extra push isn't always bad. He just overdid it this time and snapped his elbow.” With that, he ruffled Ashwin's hair and shooed him back to the other boys.

“And the silver?”

He frowned. “Werewolves were made with magic, merging us with wolves. The silver... purifies? It sort of pushes out the wolf that was merged in. There are stories of werewolves who were exposed to silver too long, and were forced to become completely human again. It's a horrible torture to go through. I don't remember the details.” He scratched at the back of his neck, looking a bit embarrassed.

He glanced at her, then continued. “Like I told you earlier, we're sort of rescued witches. A few of us have extra powers, but mostly we're enhanced people. Wolf instincts just complement human nature, I guess.”

She shook her head slightly. “What do you think she'll be like?” she asked, hefting up Salali in her arm.

He shook his head. “I don't know. I still don't fully know what's normal for you, but Ash seems like he's Lycan, with a bit of werewolf tossed in. Maybe she'll be werewolf, with a bit of Lycan tossed in. I don't know,” he finished with a thoughtful frown.

Hialeah could only nod.


	29. Chapter 29

Logan realized something was wrong when wolves started coming into the camp from all directions, whining. Not lycans. Not werewolves. Wolves. “What the...?”

Hialeah's anxiety spiked as she motioned him down, her eyes scanning the surroundings. At first it was just a couple wolves, but soon there were over a hundred scared wolves in their encampment. _Where did they come from? Why are they here?_

As for the lycans, they were radiating stress and anxiety. They had all shifted to human form, tucking the pups and adolescents into the center of the camp. Then he saw the scouts. He recognized some of them. “Jase is attacking,” he breathed.

_If Jase was willing to kidnap his own mate, why wouldn't he do the same for Zander, especially if Zander claimed we broke the deal? He knows there's a deadline. He'll want to get her now. Of course._ He ran to Gawonii. “He's here for Usdi,” he whispered. 

The alpha merely nodded, then motioned for Usdi to join him while Jase strode forward. His team stepped out of the woods, armed with guns.  _Silver bullets, not that they'll help a lot, but still..._

“You broke the deal,” he accused.

“Your 'mighty warrior' left before Logan could finish training him. He couldn't take on an adolescent, much less a competitor for his mate.”

Jase's face was consumed with sudden fury. “He told me how you beat him within an inch of his life on a daily basis! That is not training!”

The contrast between the two alphas was striking. Jase was fully clothed in military-grade combat armor, consumed by rage. He was a large, imposing figure. Gawonii was calm, naked, and larger. “He chose not to remain. If he wants to fight for the right to mate with Usdi, he may. The rest of you have no business here.”

“We'll be taking her with us. No one interferes with a mating.”

Gawonii's eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Is he your best unmated warrior?”

“He's a good man,” Jase retorted with pride.

“He'll be a dead man if you try to do this. By her fangs,” he gestured to Usdi, who smirked.

Logan noticed Usdi's eyes as they swept over the men Jase had brought. Finally, her eyes locked on one, and she strode forward with a smile on her face. It wasn't Zander, but Elias, his still-unmated commander.

She sidled up to him, plastering herself against him flirtatiously, despite his obvious lack of interest. What neither of them saw, but Logan did, was Zander's murderous expression. He charged the two.

Jase must have seen him as well, because he shouted, “Stop!” It had two immediate effects. First, Zander was frozen on the spot by the command. Second, it alerted Usdi, who swung around, half-shifting as she did, and ripped out Zander's throat.

Zander collapsed, instantly dead.

There was a pause for a couple seconds, as everyone took in what happened, except for Usdi. She shifted back to her human form and began walking back towards the center of the clearing.

She made it three steps before Elias shot her in the thigh. Instead of dropping like a sack of potatoes, as he no doubt expected, she spun around and charged him, slamming him against a tree. There was a blur of fur as every other lycan half-shifted and charged. In a matter of seconds, the werewolves were disarmed and similarly pinned. Gawonii was holding Jase as if he weighed no more than a child.

“You are cowards, and cowards are dangerous,” he stated coldly, inches from Jase's face. He pointed at Elias. “That one stays with us. The rest of you will leave. If I see any of yours again, we will annihilate your pack to the last pup. If any pack attempts to defend you, we will annihilate their pack as well.” He took a deep breath. “Do. You. Under. Stand?”

Jase looked like he wanted to murder Gawonii, but merely nodded. He was slow enough in retreating to see Usdi casually rip out Elias's throat with her fangs.

_There will be war._ The thought brought no comfort to Logan.


	30. Chapter 30

Two more months passed, and Hialeah had allowed the wolf pup to wander away among the wolves. Ashwin had grown enough that he was doing well among the pack's children. Salali, on the other hand, was still basically helpless, though she was able to move about well. Her eyes seemed to have an unusual intelligence behind them.

The pack was packing up for the migration south. Her mate was anxious again. _Usdi is mated, the werewolves have been warned off. What's the problem? Is he worried about us running into them again?_ All he would say about it was, “You don't know Jase.”

Travel was going smoothly until they approached her mate's old pack. Gawonii ordered additional guards be placed. _Gawonii doesn't trust them. Logan doesn't trust them._ She felt herself getting on edge.

It was a few days into passing the territory when things changed. That was when they found the first wolf corpse, a young adolescent. They immediately stopped and reconnoitered, only to find more wolf corpses around their perimeter. Each time, the jaw had been ripped off and the throat ripped out.

Gawonii addressed them that evening. “War has been declared. We will bring war to them.” There were silent nods of assent. He turned to her mate. “Will you be able to wage war on those you knew?”

She could feel the waves of distress washing off her mate through their bond. “I will advise you. I will fight with you. This is my pack.” She felt the determination, and felt pride in her mate.


	31. Chapter 31

It was the hardest thing he ever did. The Half-Moon pack was the backing behind Half-Moon Outfitters, and two other smaller companies. With that wealth, they did R&D to develop werewolf combat gear. This meant, in a war situation, all werewolves in the pack could have Kevlar body armor and guns with various silver rounds.

In addition to that, the pack house was set up as a fortress, just like any other pack. Combine it with regular patrols and the pack link, and the place would be difficult to take.

“Explain the pack link,” Gawonii requested.

“Basically, it's mental communication between members of the pack. We can sense each other, in general, and can raise an alarm at will. Even if we take them out before they can raise the alarm, someone will notice members dropping out of the pack, especially mates.”

“So we need the initial strike to be fast and hard, then expect resistance the rest of the way.”

Logan nodded. “Our biggest advantage is our females fight. Theirs won't. Also, children will be useless in combat. So, even though we're outnumbered around five to one, it's only about two to one for warriors.” Usdi, Hialeah, and Ghigau all grinned at each other at this news.

Gawonii merely nodded. “So we'll need lycans to strike first, targeting warriors, then women. The wolves will be behind us. They'll attack children and any women who try to slip through.”

“How many wolves do we have?” _I never really asked about that._

“All of them,” Gawonii stated calmly.

It took Logan a moment to process the implications. “Every wolf in the United States?”

“Every wolf in North America. We are the alpha pack. We have declared war.”

Logan felt a shiver crawling up his spine as he realized what Jase had done. There would be no survivors.


	32. Chapter 32

Hialeah bound over a fallen log, her mate and pack with her. Most of them were in wolf form, though a few were half-shifted. A group of scouts appeared before them. The pack moved through them, barely pausing as their jaws ripped out throats. Some of the wolves hung back, finishing off the bodies, just in case.

A sharp sting struck her left shoulder, knocking her off balance. The pack veered in the direction of the sound as she stumbled. _They've been warned. They know we're coming._ She arrived in time to see Gawonii rip off the head of a werewolf, then take his gun and shoot another one in the head.

Logan shifted to human and grabbed the rifle from that man. The group charged, wolves taking the lead. Several of them took flesh wounds, followed by Logan's sharpshooting taking out the werewolves. The bullet worked its way out of her shoulder, leaving her sore, but still very combat-ready.

When they reached the clearing around the Half-Moon pack house, they came to a stop just inside the tree line. The place was huge, a compound, really. There was a massive structure before them surrounded by smaller buildings. The main building was around a dozen floors high, the shorter buildings a third that height. Surrounding the buildings were men in combat armor holding guns at the ready.

She felt a soft growl escape her throat. Several of those around her were doing the same. Unfortunately, werewolves have excellent hearing, and their bodies stiffened. She felt anxiety crawling off her mate through her bond. She sensed a burst of determination, immediately followed by a gunshot and one of the men falling.

The opposing men suddenly crouched down, taking cover. More gunshots were fired, taking down more of the opposing werewolves. Snarling to her left alerted her to a group of werewolves attempting to sneak up on them, but they were dealt with by the lycans. The werewolves started to panic when several heads were tossed out of the woods at them.

Hialeah felt a wolfish smile cross her lips. She waited, while the smell of fear began to waft from the werewolves. Suddenly the men turned to look at the opposite side of the compound, where more lycans were now attacking.

They turned back in time to see the main lycan force barreling into them in half-wolf form, ripping bodies limb from limb. Hialeah took more bullets, but nothing fatal. It fueled her desire to fight, to kill, to conquer.

When they broke into the shorter buildings, there were only females and pups.

When they left the shorter buildings, there was only one werewolf still alive: Jase.

She felt pride as she watched her mate rip his throat out.


	33. Chapter 33

Logan looked around his old pack grounds, pain throbbing through him. The rest of his new pack had left him alone. Only his mate was at his side as he looked over the mangled bodies of women he'd teased as a child, and children he'd watched growing up.

_Gawonii was true to his word. Jase was as egotistical as always._ His gaze found the body of Jase's mate.  _If you'd been less impulsive, she would have survived this. Jase, you killed your mate with your ego._

“Why are you so sad?”

His eyes shifted to Hialeah. “These were my friends, and the mates of my friends. These were children I played with.”

“They are not your pack, now. They threw you out.”

“No. Jase threw me out. He couldn't handle being told he was reckless.”

“He was,” she observed.

“Yes. Yes, he was.” He allowed a few tears to make their way down his face as he wrapped his arm around Hialeah's waist. “I warned him he would destroy this pack. I hoped I would be wrong.”

Hialeah rested her head against his.

He glanced down at her. “Let's go home. Our kids need us.”

A piece of his heart stayed behind in the ruins of the Half-Moon Pack.


	34. Chapter 34

Hialeah watched Salili playing with the young wolves that were still around the pack. The six year old girl was consistent. She always submitted to any female lycan that challenged her. She was weak. She was useless to the pack.

Logan was smiling as he watched her.  When one of the wolves came limped towards her, injured, she hugged it to herself. Both her parents narrowed their eyes when the wolf trotted away a short time later.

Hialeah shifted her attention to Logan. He shrugged. “Some have gifts,” was all he said. The girl healed fast.  _Can she heal others, or just wolves?_

Her eyes shifted to Ashwin. He was wrestling with another juvenile male. He was holding his own. He seemed almost... normal. _Who will want Salili for a mate? She's not like Ashwin. He's an asset for the pack._


	35. Chapter 35

Logan smiled as he watched Ash claim his mate. At twelve, the silver allergy and reduced strength was his price to pay for his accelerated healing. He was able to pass as a normal lycan, most of the time.

By contrast, Sally seemed to be pure werewolf. She had aged more slowly, close to the speed of a normal werewolf. She was quiet like a lycan, though. She spent a lot of time playing with the wolves. They had a bond with her.

When she shifted the first time, she never came back. She joined the wolves she loved. The wolves were always a bit... smarter... after that. Like most lycans, Hialeah didn't go into heat again.

He sometimes regretted killing his brother, but then again, his brother had brought it on himself. “Come, Hialeah, let's show the newly mated how it's done,” he teased. They enjoyed their passion, as always.


End file.
